anyone notice when you unlock the doors and open the drivers door there is a motor like sound. but not when other doors are opened.

what is it?

Fuel pump

why does it make a noise when just opening the drivers door and no need to start the engine

I had a similar problem with a superb 2, but after putting key in ignition it was a faulty pump was replaced

why does it make a noise when just opening the drivers door and no need to start the engine

It's priming the fuel system ready to start.

It's priming the fuel system ready to start.

Due to tight spaces i have had to get in from the passengers door before, and no problems startig the car or anything..i hope not..is it going to have an effect or damage....does it need to prime the whatever it does..

edit: so if i enter from passengers side, i should open the drivers door wait for the fuel pump to work, before starting engine?

Edited 28 October, 201114 yr by fabia55

surely the fuel pump only primes when the ignition is turned on :wonder:

Due to tight spaces i have had to get in from the passengers door before, and no problems startig the car or anything..i hope not..is it going to have an effect or damage....does it need to prime the whatever it does..

edit: so if i enter from passengers side, i should open the drivers door wait for the fuel pump to work, before starting engine?

I doubt it. I assume that the ECU is smart enough that if the system isn't primed because the drivers door didn't open, it will prime when the ignition is switched on. It only takes a second anyway.

The Mk1 vRS made a kind of "splosh" noise every so often when the ignition was turned on, that was the fuel system priming too, I wondered what on earth it was for ages until I read it on here

i'm wondering if its because it needs to wait for something to explain why it primes when the drivers door is opened and not when the ignition is turned

..to allow time for something before starting

Convenience really. After all, when you open the drivers door, nine times out of ten, you'll be getting in and starting the engine. No harm in the car preparing itself.

You won't be doing any damage at all, the worst that would happen is it wouldn't start straight away. Since you haven't had any issue with that, it's fine.

Convenience really. After all, when you open the drivers door, nine times out of ten, you'll be getting in and starting the engine. No harm in the car preparing itself.

You won't be doing any damage at all, the worst that would happen is it wouldn't start straight away. Since you haven't had any issue with that, it's fine.

thats good to know.

whenever i need to get something in the car i always try to open the passenger side so fuel pump dont need to be worked

As far as I know all fabias make this noise, petrol or diesel I always used to think it was some sort of generator charging ready for the journey.

Think I read somewhere diesel varients run the glow-plugs too, but anyway as said already it's just so everything is ready when you twist the key

My Fabia did that too, my Roomster diesel makes no noise at all until key is turned.

Mine does too.

Petrols do, diesels prime on ignition as you have to wait for glow plugs anyhow.

Something we have to bear in mind should we be working on the fuel system, has lines off before now and a service advisor opened the door to get something out of the car for the customer, one very unhappy petrol soaked techie.

My old fabia used to do this. Dealer it's fuel pump priming engine as fuel syphens back to tank

SWMBOs leon does this too. This is one of the reasons why some say you shouldn't even open the door if you have just filled your petrol car with diesel at the filling station.

Thank you for the answer to this one, I have wondered what the noise was since I bought my Fabia.

Kathy